Colleen with her winnings

The 2009 USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships was recently held in Carson, CA from July 2 to 5 and Team Kenda was represented by Colleen Gulick.

After a few days of rest I caught up with Colleen to briefly talk about her week in California.

What were your goals going into the contest? Going into the 2009 USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships my main goal was to earn at least one jersey. I had a full schedule of eight events and I obviously wanted to do well in all of them but I really wanted a jersey. Moreover, I was looking forward to being the first girl to ever compete in the 16-18 year old Madison, which has traditionally been a men’s event.

How confident were you that you could win one or more of the events? I knew that there was a strong possibility that I could produce a win in the 500m TT. However, I never discount any rider as a potential threat so the possibility for an upset was always in the back of my mind. After a win in the 500 I gained some confidence to be able to control my next race, the scratch. Starting the second day with two jerseys was certainly exciting. My third jersey came in the Keirin and that is my favorite event and one of the races in which I was really shooting for a jersey. I was confident with my tactics behind the motor. My coaches prepared me well to handle any Keirin situation that could possibly arise.

Was there a competitor you wanted to beat? There were a few key competitors that are strong every year. Our core age group has virtually grown up racing each other. We know everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, so racing each other is even more difficult. However, there were a few unknown riders this year that suddenly popped onto the national scene as strong competitors.

What were your overall feelings once you arrived (nervous, can wait to get going, etc)? At national competitions I am generally a nervous person. However, I entered nationals this year feeling prepared with my best racing record ever. This gave me the confidence to settle down and just race. Once I had my first win under my belt it was a lot easier to relax seeing as though I had accomplished my goal of a jersey in the first event.

Can you describe your feelings on the day of the win? After I won the 500 I was ecstatic. I was texting all of my friends and calling my family to tell them the good news. I had seen so many other riders put on the stars and stripes over the past seven years and it was great to finally be able to experience the thrill of having one for myself. After the scratch race that night I was still riding the high from the 500 win. I couldn’t ask for anything more than two jerseys in one day. Before the Keirin finals I was so excited to race. The Keirin is my favorite event and I couldn’t wait to get rolling behind the motor. After the conclusion of the race and the ceremony I was off to drug testing for the fifth time in the three and a half days of nationals (they test first and second place riders).

Now that the 2009 USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships are behind you, what are you future goals?, What is your next event? Now that nationals have unfortunately passed I will be petitioning for a spot on the USA Junior National Track Team. I aspire to travel with them to Moscow, Russia in the middle of August for the Junior World Championships. With three jerseys and eight national medals I think I have a decent shot at selection. However, in the immediate future I still have the Iron Hill Criterium on Saturday, July 11. In addition, to two nights of track racing every week.

In the distant future, I have always dreamed of going to the Olympics but this aspiration will hopefully be accomplished many years from now. This means that if Chicago is awarded the 2016 bid I will have a short flight to travel. (editors note)

What are your strengths on the track? (Sprint vs. endurance). I am mainly an endurance rider. However, evidenced by my participation in eight national events with eight national medals, I love the Omnium. I believe it is hard to find a rider that can consistently place in all types of events. I also love the Madison event. This is historically a men’s partner race event but I love being the only girl and racing with the guys anyway. The Madison is one of those races when you’re on the start line and you see 80 laps to go and you’re thinking to yourself, “wow, this is going to take a while.” But once the race gets going, the pace is high and you start to feel the pain all you think about is how much it hurts but at the same time, how much fun you’re having. This year I raced the Madison at nationals. They do not have a female Madison category so I raced with the 16-18 men and placed 5th with my partner, making me the first girl ever to medal in the national Madison.

If I had to choose one event that is my favorite, it would definitely be the Keirin. It is such a close contact race. Everyone is bumping for position in this tactic oriented race. Once the motor pulls off it’s a free for all. If someone goes early it could be an endurance effort, or it could turn into a cat and mouse game; you never know what to expect.

In addition, I would like to thank Paul Forsythe for everything he has done to allow me to pursue my track ambitions. Even though Team Kenda is a road based team, Paul has been extremely supportive of my track racing and I would not have had such a successful 2009 USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships without his assistance.